This invention relates to safety devices for release of door and other closure latches and more particularly to a safety release for the normally closed latches employed on trunk compartments of motor vehicles.
Motor vehicle trunks, whether located forwardly or rearwardly of the passenger compartment, are usually secured in the closed position by a locking mechanism operable only from the exterior of the trunk lid where the keyhole to the tumbler assembly is located. The locking mechanism generally includes a tumbler assembly and a latch assembly connected by a latch shaft, and both assemblies are usually mounted upon the trunk lid with the latch arranged to engage a fixed bar or cavity in the trunk compartment when the lid is closed firmly. Although the prior art discloses several devices for remotely releasing the locking mechanism from inside the passenger compartment, little thought has been given to means for opening the trunk lid from within the trunk compartment itself. Thus, children playing around open trunk compartments have become locked therein without any means of escape. Even adults have found themselves locked in automobile trunks under varying circumstances, such as forcibly by kidnappers or the like. Once the lid has closed, such persons have been unable to extricate themselves since most automobile trunk locks cannot be disengaged or released by any means within the interior. Accordingly, there is a long-standing need for some means of readily unlocking automobile luggage compartments from within.